Capping of containers, such as bottles, jars, vials and tubs, is typically a fully automated or a manual process. Capping may include application of screw caps onto the containers. Generally, equipment for applying screw caps to containers is automated to screw the caps onto the containers. Sometimes, the equipment may automate the clamping of the container during screwing of the cap.
In conventional fully automated capping machines, all the steps of the capping process may be automated. However, the steps may be achieved by multiple stations performing separate discreet steps or function and does not provide a seamless method of capping containers. For example, the containers may be transported by a transporting system, e.g. a conveyor belt; the screw caps are placed onto the containers at one station; and the caps are screwed onto the container with a fixed chuck or capping wheels in another station. The containers are then moved by the transporting systems between these stations. Such an automated process which includes multiple stations may be costly to build and/or maintain.
For situations where full automation is too costly and large, there is a need for a semi-automation process. For the semi-automation process, the operator is still required to manually take a screw cap and position it on the mouth of the container before the capping can proceed. During the capping, a rotating chuck may be lowered onto the cap and rotate the cap until an end position where the cap can no longer be rotated. The intervention by the operator will limit the productivity of the capping process considerably. Therefore, there is a need to optimize this capping process.
The present invention relates to a dispensing apparatus, a method of dispensing, a capping apparatus and a method of capping, in an attempt to overcome the above disadvantages.